Since her debut, Frances Howie has drawn attention with her thoughtful, refined work — and she’s not letting the spotlight distract her. “I have a quiet confidence about what I’m doing,” she says, staying rooted in the creative process.
For Spring 2026, Howie looked back to her childhood in New Zealand’s rugged coastline and the dramatic beaches of Cornwall. She said, “They learn to swim before they learn to talk, because the ocean is so fierce and so dangerous.”
That raw natural environment shaped the collection: molded rubberized pieces with neoprene linings, referencing wetsuits and surf gear. A sleek satin cobalt dress used surf stitching — fluid in silhouette but technical in detail.
The tailoring, too, leaned into precision: trousers and matching blazers crafted by menswear-heritage tailors, linen and silk combinations, crisp cuts in metallic cotton that caught light like water. “If we’re doing a black suit, we want to make sure ours stand out,” Howie explains.
But even within the technical and structured, there was ease. Dresses draped like towels around models, hand-frayed edges suggesting salt-air texture, and flip-flop-like braided leather sandals under long dresses hemmed just above the ankle. For Howie, this collection was not about minimalism — she says, “I really think people are over stripping everything back. I think they want something that has a bit of soul or more design.”
Why it matters:
-
Fforme’s Spring 2026 collection shows a clear evolution: blending surf-inspired form with tailored discipline, it speaks to a woman who moves between worlds — city desk to ocean edge, structured meeting to sunset stroll.
-
For you as a trend forecaster or marketer, it’s rich material: utility meets fluidity; technical fabrics meet relaxed silhouettes; vacation mood meets everyday polish.
-
With its mix of reference (surf, nature) and refinement (tailoring, metallics), it hits a sweet spot in the current moment: desire for escape, but grounded in structure.
